T-TESS Alignment to The Foundation Trinity

Texas is rolling out the new Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS) for teacher summative evaluations. This has set off some concern about the need for teachers to change what they are doing and a number of educators have asked me that very question. The answer is, “It depends.”

Teachers who infrequently implement known best instructional practices do need to change what they are doing. But not because of T-TESS, but because it is the right thing to do. Teachers working to increase their usage of known best instructional practice will be just fine.

Specifically, campuses that are working to better implement The Foundation Trinity have positioned their teachers to be ahead of the curve in meeting and exceeding T-TESS standards. As proof, and to alleviate the stress being felt by some educators, I share the following abridged T-TESS / Foundation Trinity Alignment Summary.

§149.1001. Teacher Standards Purpose. The standards identified in this section are performance standards to be used to inform the training, appraisal, and professional development of teachers.

Standard 1:Instructional Planning and Delivery

Teachers demonstrate their understanding of instructional planning and delivery by providing standards-based, data-driven, differentiated instruction that engages students, makes appropriate use of technology, and makes learning relevant for today’s learners.

Teachers work to ensure high levels of learning, social-emotional development, and achievement outcomes for all students, taking into consideration each student’s educational and developmental backgrounds and focusing on each student’s needs.

Teachers exhibit a comprehensive understanding of their content, discipline, and related pedagogy as demonstrated through the quality of the design and execution of lessons and their ability to match objectives and activities to relevant state standards.

Teachers interact with students in respectful ways at all times, maintaining a physically and emotionally safe, supportive learning environment that is characterized by efficient and effective routines, clear expectations for student behavior, and organization that maximizes student learning.

Teachers consistently hold themselves to a high standard for individual development, pursue leadership opportunities, collaborate with other educational professionals, communicate regularly with stakeholders, maintain professional relationships, comply with all campus and school district policies, and conduct themselves ethically and with integrity.